Heretofore, stages for use in, for example, a microscope that can be moved horizontally in X and Y directions by rotating an operation handle have been known. In such a stage, if the stage is constructed in such a way that the operation handle itself moves together with the stage when the stage is moved horizontally, it is necessary for the operator to move his/her hand following the operation handle. Such a stage is not easy to operate. In view of this, stages in which the position of the operation handle is fixed regardless of horizontal movement of the stage have been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-330035).
However, the structures of conventional stages in which the position of the handle is fixed are complex, and they suffer from the problem of high manufacturing cost.